Catholic schools funding confirmed under Coalition

A Coalition government will match the Labor government's commitment to schools on extra funding, thereby confirming the future security of funding to Catholic schools, reports The Australian.

In an interview yesterday, the Coalition's education spokesman, Christopher Pyne, confirmed government schools in states that have not signed up for the new funding arrangements will not receive any extra money envisaged under the Gonski reforms.

'We will match exactly the (Labor) government's funding envelope,' he said. 'The funding the government is offering is the funding the Coalition is offering.

'Whatever the government is funding the states and territories, we are funding in the same way.'

The budget update released by the Treasury and Finance departments 10 days into the campaign removed the $1.2bn over the next four years that had been set aside to boost schools funding in Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory had their governments reached agreement with the federal government.

But Catholic and independent schools across the nation are covered by the new funding arrangements and non-government schools in the three non-participating states will receive the boost in funding allocated under the new model.

Mr Pyne and Coalition leader Tony Abbott unveiled their education policy at an independent school in western Sydney yesterday, committing to one-quarter of the nation's government schools being granted more independence within four years under reforms based on the West Australian model of independent public schools.